Method of seasoning wood.



J. L. PETTERMAN. METHOD OF SBASONING WOOD. APPLIOATIQN rILnn nu 18,1910.

Patenteqpr. 25, 1911.

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PPLIoATIoN FILED MAY 18,1919.

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. Patnted Apr.25, 1911.

JOHN I.. FETTERMAN, or ITTABENA, MISSISSIPPI.

METHOD 0F SEASONINGI- WOGD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 25, 1911.

Y Application led May 18, 1910. Serial No. 562,095.

To all whom it may concern:

Bc it known that I, J oHN L. FE'IYI'ERMAN, a, citizen of the United States, residing at Ittabena, in the county of Leflore and 'State of Mississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Seasoning Wod, of-Which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a method of drying or seasoning Wood.

An important object of this invention is to provide a method of the above character, which may be carried out expeditiously and continuously.

In the seasoning of green lumber or wood, t-he same is generally placed in dry kiln, and there subjected to heat until the same is dried. It generally takes about three weeks -to season lumber by placin the same in a dry kiln. I have found, t at' green lumber may be seasoned or dried by subjecting the same to a bath of heated paraffin wax4 or analogous substances such as mineral oils. The paraiiin or oil is first heated to about 212 degrees F. -or a little more, and the lumber deposited within the same. The water and sap is driven out of the green lumber by evaporation, whereby the same is dried. The paraffin is then heated or- -raised in temperature to about 250 degrees F., which revents very much of the same from entermg the pores of the lumber. I have'found that green lumber may be thoroughly seasonedor dried, by the employment of my process within about sixty minutes.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same, Figure 1 is a side view of an apparatus, by the employ- 'ment of which my method may be carried out. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

In the drawings, thenumeral 1 designates a furnace formed of brick or the like, and provided upon one side with a door 2, and upon the opposite side with a stack 3. This furnace is shown as being disposed'upon a suitable foundation 4, which may be formed of concrete. Upon the upper end of the furnace 1 is disposed a tank or trough 5, which is shown as being rectangular. This trough may preferably be formed of sheet metal or other suitable material. The

trouoh 5 is formed o en as shown, and contains the drying medium 6, which may be paraiiin Wax, or any .mineral oil. Near and spaced away from the ends ofthe furnace 1, are transversely alined vertically disposed standards 7 and 8. The. standards 7 are provided upon their inner side, near their upper and lower ends, with bearings 9 and 10 respectively, through which are journaled upper and lower horizontally disposed shafts 1,2 and 13. Upon the shafts 12 and 13 are ri idly mounted pairs of spaced sprocket w eels 14 and 15, respectively. The standards 8 are provided upon theirinner sides, Iand near the upper and lowerends thereof, with bearings 16 and 17, through which are respectively lournaled horizontally disposed shafts 18am 19. The shafts 18 and 19 are preferably disposed in horizontal alinement with the shafts 12 and 13 respectively. The shafts V18 and 19 have pairs of sprocket Wheels 20 and 21 respectively, rigidly mounted upon the same. The pairs of sprocket wheels 20 and 21 are spaced to correspond to the arrangement of the sprocket Wheels 14 and 15. The shaft 18 is provided nea-r its left end with a worm wheel 22, which is rlgldly mounted upon the same and disposed to mesh with a worm wheel 23 disposed upon land rigidly connected to a driven shaft 24.

The driven shaft 24 is journaled through the upper end of one of the standards 8 and through the upper end of a standard 25, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1. The

shaft 24 is provided adjacent its inner end with a step pulley 2G, rigidly secured to the same, and about which is trained a belt 27 in engagement with a step pulley 28. The step pulley 28 is rigidly mounted upon a driving shaft 29, which is j ournaled through bearings 30, as shown. The driving shaft 29 is provided with a pulley 31, whereby the same may be actuated by means of a belt connected to a suitable motor or the like (not shown).` I

Pairs of endless sprocket chains 32 are provided, which are` trained about the sprocket wheels 14, 15, 20 and 21as shown. The sprocket chains are to be formed suiiiciently slack, so that the same when traveling across the trough 5, will engage the botortions operate through suitable openings formed below the foundation 4, as shown; The furnace 1 is in effect, disposed within the endless chains 32. At the left end of the furnace 1, is arra-nged a table 34, to hold the material to be treated. At the opposite end of the furnace is arranged a table 35, having an inclined top 36, to receive and carry away the material after passing through the trough 5.

I will now proceed to describe my method, in connection with the apparatus above referred to. I will describe 'my method as emloyed to season hollow wooden columns, but it is to be understood, of course, that the same is in .no sense restricted to this use alone. -The endless chains 32 are being driven at a proper speed and in .a direction to the right, as indicated by the arrow., A fire `is made Within the furnace l and the temperature of the paraffin wax is raised to about 250 degrees F. `Each of the 'columns 35 is placed between the fingers: 33 and-.accordingly made to travel through the' plarafn wax. `As the columns 351 which are green, and cold, are continuously introduced Within one end of the trough 5 the temperature of the solution therein isr reduced near that end, and I have found that said temperature is reduced from 250 degrees F to about 212 degrees F. Each of the columns 354 are then drawn slowly through the molten paraffin wax, whereby the same is dried, that is,deprived of its water and sap.

It is obvious that the paraflin Wax cannot soak into the pores of these columns, while the same are being dried, on account'of the water being evaporated therefrom. When each -of the columns 35 has been dried, which takes about 60 minutes, the same will have traveled through the solution in the trough 5 andl is disposed near the right end of the trough. Near this right end, the par-l aiin wax is kept at a temperature of 250 degrees F. and on account of this high temperature, very little of said paraffin will soak into the pores of the column. As above stated, it takes about sixty minutes to thoroughly dry or season a column, and it is .to be understood that the trough 5 is to be formed suiiciently-long, and the chains32 to Vbe driven suliiciently slow, whereby the columns 35 will be subjected to the action of the paraiiin wax for about sixty minutes.

It' is to-be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described,

yis to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that certain changes may be made or resorted to, Without departing from the spirit of my invention, as setforth in the annexed claims.

Having fully described claim 1. They herein described method of seasoning green woody material, which consists in.introducing such material into a portion of a mass of molten paraffin wax, said portion having a temperature below 212 F., moving the said'material through said mass of paraiin wax into another portion thereof which h as a temperature above 212 F., and removing said material from said molten mass ofparatlin wax.

2. The herein described method of Aseasoning green Woody material, which consists lin introducing such material into one end portion of a mass'of vparaiin wax having a temperature of 212 F., moving said mate-- my invention, I

rial through said mass into another end portion thereof having a temperature of 250"y F., vand removing such material from the last named end portion of said mass of paraiiin wax;

- 3. The herein described method of seasoni-ng greeny woody material, which consists in heating a mass of paraffin wax to substantially 250 F., order a plurality of members of such woody material into one end portionof said mass,

introducing in successive l of 250 F., and removing said members from the last named end portion of said mass. l

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

Witnesses: I

J. WV. BRADFORD, J. C. Blmrom).

JOHN L. FETTERMAN. 

